Abbot of Paisley

The Abbot of Paisley (later Commendator of Paisley; Prior of Paisley before 1219) was the head of the Cluniac monastic community of Paisley Abbey and its property. The monastery was founded as a priory at Renfrew in 1163, but moved to Paisley in 1169. It became an abbey in 1219. The founder was Walter fitz Alan, Seneschal (Steward) of Scotland. The line of abbots ended when it was turned into a secular lordship for Lord Claud Hamilton in 1587/1592. The following is a list of abbots and commendators:

List of priors

???, 1163 x 1165^[1]
Osbert, 1173-1180x1192
Roger, 1195 x 1196 -1208 x 1214

List of abbots

???, 1220^[2]
William, 1225/6 -1238, 1248?
Stephen, 1272–1285
Walter, 1296
A[ ? ],^[3] 1301
Roger, 1318–1325
John, 1327
James, 1349
John, 1362–1370
John de Lithgow I, 1384-1408 x 1412
Alan de Govan, 1412
John de Lychcar, 1412
William de Cheshelme, 1414
Roland, 1414-1415^[4]
John de Lithgow II (?Lychcar), 1415-1431 x 1432^[5]
Thomas Morrow, 1418–1444
Richard Bothwell, 1444–1445
Thomas de Tarveis, 1445–1459
Henry Crichton, 1459–1471
Patrick Graham, 1466–1471
George Shaw, 1471–1499
Robert Shaw, 1498–1525

List of commendators

John Hamilton, 1525-1553^[6]
Claude Hamilton, 1553–1587
Robert Lord Sempill, 1569–1573
William Erskine, 1581-1584^[7]
Claude Hamilton, 1586-1592 as 1st Lord Paisley

Notes

^ Was prior at Renfrew. Name not known.
^ First abbot, when Paisley became an abbey in 1219. Name not known.
^ Known only by initial A.
^ Previously abbot of Crossraguel.
^ Previously abbot of Crossraguel.
^ Became bishop of Dunkeld (1544/6-47), then archbishop of St Andrews (1547/9) until he died in 1571; maintained the commend of Paisley until 1553, when he granted it to his nephew.
^ Became archbishop of Glasgow in 1585.

Bibliography

Cowan, Ian B. & Easson, David E., Medieval Religious Houses: Scotland With an Appendix on the Houses in the Isle of Man, Second Edition, (London, 1976), pp. 64–5
Watt, D.E.R. & Shead, N.F. (eds.), The Heads of Religious Houses in Scotland from the 12th to the 16th Centuries, The Scottish Records Society, New Series, Volume 24, (Edinburgh, 2001), pp. 167–73

[1] Was prior at Renfrew. Name not known.

[2] First abbot, when Paisley became an abbey in 1219. Name not known.

[3] Known only by initial A.

[4] Previously abbot of Crossraguel.

[5] Previously abbot of Crossraguel.

[6] Became bishop of Dunkeld (1544/6-47), then archbishop of St Andrews (1547/9) until he died in 1571; maintained the commend of Paisley until 1553, when he granted it to his nephew.

[7] Became archbishop of Glasgow in 1585.

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